Electric switch.



P. E. SHELBY.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIQ, 1911.

1,006,296, Patented Oct. 17,1911.

mvEr/ron 7 4 ATTORNEYS YSTAES P OFFICE.

it E. SEELEY, F BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BBYQNT ELEG- TBIG COMPANY, BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of letters Patent.

Application filed May 19, 1911. serial Ho. seams.

To all whom it may concern: *Be it know'nthat I, FRANK E. SEELEY, a

' citizen of the United States of America, and

' which engages the tongu residing at Bridgeport, in the county of, Fairfield and State of Comiecti'cut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and particularly to ratchet operated switches, the object of my invention being to provide an improved device for tensioning the usual ratchet spring so that when the switch is located in an electric lamp socket, for example, the tensioning means are readily accessible after the socket has been wired up and installed.

In the accompanying drawings in which my invention is embodied in one form, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an electric pull socket; Fig. 2 is an inverted plan thereof with the casing removed; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the switch spindle and parts detached; and Fig. 4 is a perspective of the center contact.

Various devices for tensioning the ratchet spring of switch mechanisms installed in electric lamp sockets have been provided, but those generally employed are inaccessible for the adjustment of the spring after the socket has been installed, so that it is usually necessary to open the usual casing in order the latter carrying the chain bell 14 for the pull chain 15, carried by the chain rail 16, rigid with the ratchet member 17. The cooperating ratchet member 18 is formed in one with. the spring contacts 19 which ride upon the contact plates 20, mounted upon the ratchet formed boss 21, of the button 11, after the fashion of the Hubbell Patent No. 99%,588. The ratchet 17 is subjected to the action of the spring 22, the lower end of e 23, projecting above the disk of the chain rail 16. The

tongue 24, of the disk 25, which is free to rotate in the chamber 26 formed in the lower face of the insulating button 10. A squared aperture 27 in the disk 25 permits the passage therethrough of. the squared end 28, of the switch spindle 29, while at the same time insuring the rotation of said disk with said spindle. The lower end of the spindle 29 is enlarged to form a bearing shoulder 30 Patented Got. it. 1911.

upper end of the spring 22 engages the.

against which bears the hub 31 of the U cating with said chamber and in line with the spindleis a well 35 which opens to the lamp receiving end of the socket. The center contact 86 overlies this well, and in order to permit thecntrance of a screw driver into the well, is centrally perforated as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The upper end of the spindle bears against the disk 37 lying above the disk 25, in the chamber 26 in the upper but ton 10, and held in frictional contact therewith by the spring 38 interposed between said disk 37 and the top of the chamber 26.

The operation of the device is readily understood. In case it' is desired to adjust the tension of the ratchet spring 22, it is only necessary to unscrew the lamp from the screw shell 39 and insert a screw driver through the perforation of the center contact 36, bringing it into engagement with the slot 33 in the squared head 32 of the spindle 29. By pushing upward with the screw driver the spindle is longitudinally displaced suilicicntly to free head 32 from its rectangular seat in the, bottom of the chamber 34, whereupon the spindle is free to be turned in either direction to decrease or increase the tension of the spring since upon the rotation of the spindle the disk 25, which isengaged by the upper.

the displacement of the spindle, care being takenof course to see that the rectangular head 32 is properly positioned to enter its rectangular seat without losing the tension of the spring.

Obviously my'invention may be embodied in various constructions without departing from my invention, and I do not limit myself to the details shown.

I claim as my invention 1. .An electric lamp socket having a ratchet operated switch mechanism, a spring for rotating said ratchet in one direction and an adjusting device therefor, said device comprising an abutment for one end of the spring and means accessible and operable wholly from the lamp receiving end of the socket, for displacing said abutment to regulate the tension of said spring.

I 2.v An electric lamp socket having a ratchet operated switch mechanism, a spring for rotating said ratchet in one direction, an adjustable abutment for one end of said spring whereby the tension of the latter may be regulated, in combination with means accessible and operable wholly from the lamp receiving end of the socket for adjusting said abutment to secure the desired tension of the spring.

3. An electric lamp socket comprising an inclosing casing'open at the lamp receiving end thereof,- a ratchet operated switch mechanism within the casing, 'a normally stationary spindle on which said mechanism is mounted, one end of which is accessible from the lamp recelvmg end of the socket,

and means in connection with the rotation of said spindle for adjusting the tension of said ratchet spring.

4. An electric lamp socket comprising an inclosing casing open at the lamp receiving end thereof, a ratchet operated switch mechanism within the casing, a normally ment therefor engaged by said spindle,

means for rotating'said abutment on the longitudinal displacement of sa1d-,sp1ndle and means for holding sald spindle with 1t-s spring abutment in the position to which it is rotarily adjusted.

An electric lamp socket having a ratchetoperated switch mechanism, a'spring for rotating said ratchet in one direction, an adjustable abutment for one end of said spring for regulating the tension of the latter, means for normally holding said abutment against displacement, and means accessible and operable wholly from the lamp receiving end of the socket, whereby said abutment may be displaced. with relation to its holding means to adjust the tension of said ratchet spring.

6. An electric lamp socket having a casing, means thereon for securing the socket to a fixture, .a ratchet operated switch mechanism within said casing, a spring for rotating said ratchet in one direction, an adjustable abutment for one end of said spring for regulating the tensionof the latter, and means accessible and operable during the undisturbed installation of the socket on. its. fixture, for displacing said abutment to adjust the tension of said ratchet spring. I V

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK E. SEELEY. Witnesses: i

A. H. Jones, H. lVI. l/Vrcnnnr. 

